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Take-Home Naloxone: The Peoples’ Overdose Antidote

Given the high prevalence of opioid mortality rates around the globe, naloxone, an opioid antagonist, has become a crucial medication that can reverse an opioid overdose within minutes. In an attempt to bring naloxone into the community, take-home naloxone programmes provide naloxone kits together with training in overdose management and administration to members of the public. TalkingDrugs, UK, 15.06.2021)

https://www.talkingdrugs.org/ take-home-naloxone-the-peoples’-overdose-antidote

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of take-home naloxone (THN) ownership and carriage. 

Burton G, McAuley A, Schofield J, Yeung A, Matheson C, Parkes T. 

Int J Drug Policy. 2021 May 30:103298. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103298. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34078563.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395921002048

Naloxon – der Lebensretter im Rucksack

Dein Einsatz im Drogennotfall kann Leben retten.  

Wir zeigen dir in drei kurzen Trainingsvideos, wie du im Drogennotfall Leben retten kannst. Außerdem kannst du ein Online-Training machen, um deinen Kenntnisstand zu überprüfen. Ein Zertifikat soll dazu beitragen, einfacher ein Rezept für Naloxon-Nasenspray bei deinem Arzt*deiner Ärztin zu erhalten. (DAH – Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, Mai 2021)

https://www.naloxontraining.de/

Naloxone for opioid toxicity and overdose in the community. 

Jauncey M, Nielsen S. 

Aust Prescr. 2021 Apr;44(2):38-39. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2021.006. Epub 2021 Apr 1. PMID: 33911329; PMCID: PMC8075742.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8075742/

Schottland. Overdose awareness and naloxone posters go live in Scotland

This month a new overdose awareness and naloxone poster campaign launched in various cities throughout the UK.

Naloxone is a life-saving medication used to reverse the effects of opioids. It can save a person’s life if it is used quickly after an overdose is taken.

The posters feature the faces of real community naloxone carriers and their stories of why they carry naloxone, and have gone up in locations around Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee, including Argyle Street in Glasgow, and Calton Road in Edinburgh. (sdf – Scottish Drugs Forum, UK, 04.05.2021)

http://www.sdf.org.uk/overdose-awareness-and-naloxone-posters-go-live-in-scotland/

USA. The Price of Saving a Life: Naloxone’s Cost Barrier in the US

When I walk into my local pharmacy to pick up a naloxone kit, I don’t need to present a prescription. I don’t even need to state my reason for needing naloxone (I’m an opioid-dependent pain patient and I frequently interview people who use illicit opioids). The pharmacist asks whether I prefer the nasal spray or the injectable version, then takes me through a five-minute orientation, explaining how to use it to save someone else’s life. Then I leave with my kit.

No money changes hands. I owe nothing. My choice of injectable versus nasal spray is driven by my own comfort, not by their respective costs. 

I live in Toronto. But in the United States, where the crisis of opioid-involved overdose deaths is raging (as it is in Canada) beyond anything we’ve seen before, naloxone access is limited—not just by stigma and outdated, restrictive laws, but also by its rising cost. (Filter, USA, 29.0.4.2021)

https://filtermag.org/naloxone-narcan-cost/

USA. FDA Approves Higher Dosage of Naloxone Nasal Spray to Treat Opioid Overdose

FDA Approves Higher Dosage of Naloxone Nasal Spray to Treat Opioid Overdose

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today the approval of a higher dose naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray product to treat opioid overdose. The newly approved product delivers 8 milligrams (mg) of naloxone into the nasal cavity. The FDA had previously approved 2 mg and 4 mg naloxone nasal spray products. (FDA, USA, 30.04.2021)

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-higher-dosage-naloxone-nasal-spray-treat-opioid-overdose

Practical implications of naloxone knowledge among suburban people who use opioids. 

Schneider, K.E., Urquhart, G.J., Rouhani, S. et al. 

Harm Reduct J 18, 47 (2021). doi.org/10.1186/s12954-021-00466-8

https://harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12954-021-00466-8

Nobody Wants to Be Narcan'd: A Pilot Qualitative Analysis of Drug Users' Perspectives on Naloxone. 

Lai JT, Goldfine CE, Chapman BP, Taylor MM, Rosen RK, Carreiro SP, Babu KM. 

West J Emerg Med. 2021 Feb 8;22(2):339-345. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2020.10.48768. PMID: 33856321; PMCID: PMC7972385.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7972385/

Pfizer Donating 1 Million Naloxone Doses to Direct Relief for Life-Saving Opioid Overdose Reversal 

Responding to a record number of drug overdose deaths in the United States, Pfizer has made a commitment to Direct Relief to donate 1 million doses of the drug naloxone, which saves lives by reversing opioid overdoses. (Direct Relief, USA, 15.04.2021) 

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pfizer-donating-1-million-naloxone-doses-to-direct-relief-for-life-saving-opioid-overdose-reversal-301270150.html

Videos in Clinical Medicine: Intranasal Naloxone Administration

Rafael Ortega, M.D., Ala Nozari, M.D., Ph.D., William Baker, M.D., Sannoor Surani, M.D., and Melinda Edwards, M.D.
N Engl J Med 2021; 384:e44, March 25, 2021, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMvcm2020745

Anmeldung erforderlich

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMvcm2020745

USA. Harm Reduction at Sea: Tight-Knit Fishing Communities Navigate Drugs

The setting sun shines a crown of pink light through the windows of a loud bar on the Massachusetts coast, packed with fishermen. It’s 3:30 pm—the end of a long day that began well before dawn. The weight of wear and tear on exhausted muscles and minds is as palpable as the bursts of deep belly laughter and the smell of sweat. Johnnie*, a salt-and-pepper fisherman in his late 50s, is smiling as he tells me what happened one dark night last year.

“It was like a movie star, dropping down from the sky off the helicopter to get to my crewmate, pitch of night,” he says. “The Coast Guard—this handsome guy, my wife would’ve loved him, like Rock Hudson—dropped down from the moon. Felt like hours after we had given him all the Narcan we had. The Coast Guard still didn’t carry it back then, did you know that? So they pulled him up into the clouds and we all were left below at sea.”

“It’s not the first time that’s happened on our boat,” Johnnie says. “If we didn’t have that Narcan on board though, kid probably wouldn’t have made it.” (Filter Mag, USA. 08.04.2021)

https://filtermag.org/harm-reduction-fishing-communities/

Take-home naloxone programs for suspected opioid overdose in community settings: a scoping umbrella review. 

Moustaqim-Barrette A, Dhillon D, Ng J, Sundvick K, Ali F, Elton-Marshall T, Leece P, Rittenbach K, Ferguson M, Buxton JA. 

BMC Public Health. 2021 Mar 26;21(1):597. doi: 10.1186/s12889-021-10497-2. PMID: 33771150; PMCID: PMC8004425.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8004425/

"They're not doing enough.": women's experiences with opioids and naloxone in Toronto. 

Macleod ER, Tajbakhsh I, Hamilton-Wright S, Laliberte N, Wiese JL, Matheson FI. 

Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2021 Mar 20;16(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s13011-021-00360-3. PMID: 33743756; PMCID: PMC7980746.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7980746/

Naloxone-Induced Acute Pulmonary Edema is Dose-Dependent: A Case Series. 

Al-Azzawi M, Alshami A, Douedi S, Al-Taei M, Alsaoudi G, Costanzo E. 

Am J Case Rep. 2021 Mar 17;22:e929412. doi: 10.12659/AJCR.929412. PMID: 33730013; PMCID: PMC7983320.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7983320/

USA. AMA, State Medical Associations, Oppose Bills Pushing Coprescription of Opioids and Naloxone

North and South Carolina lawmakers are considering bills that would require clinicians to coprescribe naloxone for patients who are prescribed opioids. However, the American Medical Association (AMA) and both states' medical associations oppose the legislation. (Medscape, 22.03.2021)

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/947835

Schottland. Police Scotland officers administer Naloxone for first time in pilot project

Police Scotland officers have administered Naloxone for the first time, within two hours of receiving training in the use of the spray to reverse an opioid-related drug overdose. (Police Scotland, 08.03.2021)

https://www.scotland.police.uk/what-s-happening/news/2021/march/police-scotland-officers-administer-naloxone-for-first-time-in-pilot-project/

Naloxone induced pulmonary edema. 

Elkattawy S, Alyacoub R, Ejikeme C, Noori MAM, Remolina C. 

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2021 Jan 26;11(1):139-142. doi: 10.1080/20009666.2020.1854417. PMID: 33552437; PMCID: PMC7850343.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7850343/

First Aid Education for Opioid Overdose Poisoning: Scoping Review. 

Pellegrino JL, Krob JL, Orkin A. 

Cureus. 2021 Jan 3;13(1):e12454. doi: 10.7759/cureus.12454. PMID: 33552772; PMCID: PMC7854333.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7854333/

A qualitative study of a publicly funded pharmacy-dispensed naloxone program. 

Antoniou T, Pritlove C, Shearer D, Martins D, Tadrous M, Munro C, Gomes T. 

Int J Drug Policy. 2021 Feb 7:103146. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103146. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33568317. 

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095539592100044X

Reasons People Who Use Opioids Do Not Accept or Carry No-Cost Naloxone: Qualitative Interview Study. 

Bennett AS, Freeman R, Des Jarlais DC, Aronson ID. 

JMIR Form Res. 2020 Dec 23;4(12):e22411. doi: 10.2196/22411. PMID: 33355094; PMCID: PMC7787889.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7787889/

The status of naloxone in community pharmacies across Canada. 

So R, Al Hamarneh Y, Barnes M, Beazely MA, Boivin M, Laroche J, Patel H, Sihota A, Smith T, Tsuyuki RT. 

Can Pharm J (Ott). 2020 Sep 21;153(6):352-356. doi: 10.1177/1715163520958435. PMID: 33282025; PMCID: PMC7689620.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7689620/

Canadian national consensus guidelines for naloxone prescribing by pharmacists. 

Tsuyuki RT, Arora V, Barnes M, Beazely MA, Boivin M, Christofides A, Patel H, Laroche J, Sihota A, So R. 

Can Pharm J (Ott). 2020 Aug 26;153(6):347-351. doi: 10.1177/1715163520949973. PMID: 33282024; PMCID: PMC7689616.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7689616/

Considering the Potential Benefits of Over-the-Counter Naloxone. 

Evoy KE, Hill LG, Davis CS. 

Integr Pharm Res Pract. 2021;10:13-21, doi.org/10.2147/IPRP.S244709

https://www.dovepress.com/considering-the-potential-benefits-of-over-the-counter-naloxone-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IPRP

Ausschreibung für Modellprojekt zur Durchführung deutschlandweiter qualitätsgesicherter „Take-Home Naloxon Schulungen“ gestartet

Drogenbeauftragte Ludwig: „Naloxon kann Leben retten!“ (drogenbeauftragte.de, 13.01.202)

https://www.drogenbeauftragte.de/presse/detail/ausschreibung-fuer-modellprojekt-zur-durchfuehrung-deutschlandweiter-qualitaetsgesicherter-take-home-naloxon-schulungen-gestartet/

 

Öffentliche Ausschreibung: Kon­zep­ti­on, Um­set­zung und Eva­lua­ti­on ei­nes Wis­sen­schaft­li­chen Mo­dell­pro­jekts zur Durch­füh­rung deutsch­land­wei­ter qua­li­täts­ge­si­cher­ter Ta­ke-Ho­me Na­lo­xon Schu­lun­gen

Vergabestelle: Bundesministerium für Gesundheit, Angebotsfrist 05.03.2021

https://www.service.bund.de/IMPORTE/Ausschreibungen/editor/Bundesministerium-fuer-Gesundheit/2021/01/3757005.html

Overdoselifesavers.org: a mixed-method evaluation of a public information website on experiences of overdose and using take-home naloxone to save lives,

Adrian Farrugia, Carla Treloar & Suzanne Fraser (2021)

Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, DOI: 10.1080/09687637.2020.1858758

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09687637.2020.1858758

Impact of policy changes on the provision of naloxone by pharmacies in Ontario, Canada: a population‐based time–series analysis. 

Antoniou, T., Martins, D., Campbell, T., Tadrous, M., Munro, C., Leece, P., Mamdani, M., Juurlink, D. N., and Gomes, T. (2020) 

Addiction, doi.org/10.1111/add.15324.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/add.15324

NYC Revamps Pharmacies’ Role in Preventing Overdose Deaths

New York City, like the rest of the country, is facing a historic overdose crisis driven by illicit fentanyl adulterating the unregulated drug supply and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, the city’s health department has made naloxone, the overdose-reversal medication, available free-of-charge at chain pharmacies in highly impacted neighborhoods from which the city has historically divested. (Filter Magazine, USA, 06.01.2021)

https://filtermag.org/nyc-pharmacy-overdose/

Schottland. Take-home Naloxone to save lives.

Take-home Naloxone will be given to people at high risk of accidental overdoses, in a move designed to reduce the number of drug deaths.  This will include those who have been resuscitated by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) following an accidental overdose. (Scottish Government, 06.01.2021)

https://www.gov.scot/news/take-home-naloxone-to-save-lives/

  1. NTNU intranasal naloxone trial (NINA-1) study protocol for a double-blind, double-dummy, non-inferiority randomised controlled trial comparing intranasal 1.4 mg to intramuscular 0.8 mg naloxone for prehospital use. 
  2. Schottland. Naloxone: Police to carry emergency drug overdose spray
  3. Naloxon-Nasenspray kann bei Überdosierungen Leben retten
  4. USA. find naloxone near you
  5. The PLOS ONE Staff (2020) Correction: Higher naloxone dosing in a quantitative systems pharmacology model that predicts naloxone-fentanyl competition at the opioid mu receptor level.